Perspective
by thelittleturtleduck
Summary: To the world, they were the Avatars. They were heroes of war and protectors of balance, brave and solemn as they guided the world through tribulations. But to the people that knew them, they were just Aang and Korra, a silly goofball and a headstrong teenager. Katara and Mako have a little chat about differing perspectives.


A/N: This idea has been dancing around in my head for awhile, and it took me three hours to type this all down, but I finished! I'm pretty proud of this, and it was a nice change from the story I have been writing so I hope you enjoy this. I always thought it would be nice for Mako and Katara to have a conversation, given their similar situations. Mako sounded really OCC to me, but we never see Mako as hesitant and uncomfortable in the series, so I was just taking a shot in the dark with that side of him. I'm also taking vague guesses at Kya and Bumi's childhood personalities, considering we haven't really seen much of them yet. Bryan and Mike said Kya is kind of a hippie, and in tune with her spirtual side, some I'm guessing she embraced her father's nomad side. Then Bumi is a wild child, I'm pretty sure when it comes to that. Review and tell me what you thought of it. God bless!

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Legend of Korra".

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A shiver ran through his body as his boots sunk even further into the confines of the snow. Though he had an unusually high body temperature, being able to bend the element of fire and harbor the heat within him, his body tried to fight against the chilly air of the South Pole in vain. The snow fell gently, but every once in awhile it would stick to one of his lashes, partially blinding him and bathing the world in white. But when the snow flurry would fall, the world would still be covered in white.

He watched her though, carefully as she practiced a few airbending forms with her master, Tenzin observing her closely from the sidelines. He wore multiple autumn colored robes, protecting himself from the chill in the air, but he didn't seem to mind it, being much more focused on the girl who he continued to train.

Pema and the children watched from behind him, the young mother being relieved from her duties with the baby for once, and enjoying playing in the snow with her children. The cold didn't seem to bother her or her children either as they wore simple robes and light coats matching the colors of Tenzin's. Meelo and Ikki were constructing a snowman while shouting words of encouragement to Korra, while Jinora had her nose stuck in a journal her grandmother had provided her with.

Bolin and Asami were back in their rooms at the building they had been staying in, both resistant to brave the cool chill of morning. But Mako had donned his thick grey coat, and wrapped his scarf securely around his pale neck, and braved it for the girl he had discovered he loved.

He loved. Now that's not something he thought to himself everyday.

Korra had regained her bending from Avatar Aang only three days ago, and in that time, they both solved some unresolved issues between each other and between other people. Mako had discussed the situation with Asami, and though her face showed great sadness, she had smiled slightly because she had seen the way Mako looked at Korra. Bolin and Korra sat down for a bit so Korra could properly apologize for everything she had put him through, the biggest apology coming when she spoke of the friendly dates they had where she had selfishly led him on.

Mako had also had a chance to sit down with the Avatar, just to talk about everything. The beginning of their relationship was starting out slow, but secretly, Mako was satisfied with that. What he felt for Korra wasn't something he wanted to be tampered with, he wanted to have a normal relationship with her.

He paused in his walking as he heard Korra give a frusterated shout about not being able to do the airbending forms. It made him smile.

But perhaps doubt is what led him here. Doubt and self worth. He stood on the porch of one of the buildings of the compound, hands shaking slightly not from the cold, but from his nerves. His gloved hand reached for the doorknob, but before his fingers could even grasp it, the door swung open, a gush of warm air engulfing him.

Standing in the doorway, was Korra's waterbending sifu, Master Katara. Despite her old age, she regained a powerful presence, a warm smile on her face as her cerulean eyes took in the guest on her porch. A hand playing with a hairloop on her forehead, pushing the white strands from in front of her eyes.  
She gave him a knowing look.

"Hello, Mako. Come in."

Mako hadn't realized he had been holding his breath, standing rigidly on the front porch as the woman gestured for him to follow her inside her home. He could hear a kettle sharply whistle in the kitchen, and the scent of Jasmine seemed to clog his senses. Though his steps were hesitant, and his demeanor awkward, he slowly followed the old woman inside to the living room, his footfalls sounding louder than ever in the relatively quiet home.

Katara pointed at one of the couches lining her living room, directing him to sit on the soft, blue material. In the center of the room he saw a bassinet, holding her newest grandchild within its confines, Rohan's face the picture of peace.

The Master left the room to attend to the kettle, asking him if he would enjoy a cup of tea. He hesitated for a moment, before he accepted, deciding that the jasmine may make this conversation a little easier.

When she returned, he realized something he hadn't before as she handed him his cup of tea. The older woman wore a thick jacket just as she did when she was outdoors, but she hadn't left her house all day. Rohan had been brought to her earlier this morning and she wasn't needed to consult with the White Lotus Sentries.

"Are you cold?"

Katara chuckled a bit, sitting in a rocking chair across the room from Mako, the wood groaning in a bit of protest a long with her aging bones. A small smile found its way to her face, her wrinkled hands bringing her cup up to her lips and taking a long sip of the steaming liquid.

"I grew up in this weather, I never get cold," Katara's simple reply came soft and surely, her eyes taking on a far away look, and then gaining her surroundings again, "So, I know you are here for a reason. I'm sure you didn't just come to talk to this old woman about the weather."

Mako looked down at the cup in his hands, his elbows placed on his knees as he leaned forward uncomfortably and sloshed the liquid unsurely within its prison, "I guess you're right."

"I usually am."

Mako pursed his lips, still a bit hesitant to speak his mind. He didn't want Katara to think of him as self centered or rude or brutish, because as he thought things over in his mind, he could start to see where she would see that. He wasn't a people person by any means, so speaking to this woman who seemed to be so friendly and inviting to everyone she met, was making him extremely aware of his actions.

"I'm sure Korra has made you aware of everything that happened the other day," He wasn't just talking about her encounter with Aang, he was speaking of their decision to pursue a relationship. He was aware of how unusually close Katara and Korra were and was sure of all people, Katara would be the one who was told of their relationship first and foremost. They hadn't even told Tenzin or her parents yet, though he was sure they probably had already assumed since they walked back to the compound with bright smiles and holding on to eachother's hand for dear life that they were together.

Katara smiled gently, nodding her head knowingly, "Yes, she did."

Mako took a deep breath, his eyes straying from his cup to look the old woman in the eyes, "I have a feeling you already know why I'm here."

"I have an idea."

The young man's lips pursed again as he set his cup down on the side table sitting beside the couch, careful to avoid the letters that lay on its surface. He wasn't exactly an open book, but he could feel that Katara understood his unsureness. She had, after all, been in his position once.

"I just," Mako wasn't an expressive young man unless he was expressing his anger, so expressing hesitance was really throwing him for a loop, "I don't know what to do."

"I know you don't."

He shook his head, a hand running nervously through his dark hair as he tried to keep his voice level, "She's the Avatar."

Katara smiled at him, nodding for him to continue.

"She's perfect. She can be selfish and hotheaded and stubborn," He thought back to all the times where she had made him want to rip his hair out, but then he remembered all the times when she had made him feel like he never had before, "But she's also kind, and selfless, and brave."

"And she's the Avatar."

"That's the point," His voiced raised slightly, although he was mindful of the sleeping infant only a few feet away, small snores escaping his lips, "She's the Avatar, and what am I? I'm an orphan, an athlete, a man who doesn't even have a yuan to his name. Who am I to fall in love with the Avatar?"

Katara raised her eyebrows, blue eyes curious, "Well, who do you believe deserves the love of the Avatar?"

"Some son of a noble, some prince, someone that can give her everything her heart desires."

The waterbending master shook her head, "You and I both know that Korra doesn't care for the materialistic side of things."

Mako heaved a sigh, "Still," He joined his hands beneath his chin and leaned forward, "She deserves more than me."

"Then why did you tell her your feelings?"

Mako's dark brows furrowed, his lips pursed, "I don't know. She just looked so helpless and vulnerable, and I needed to tell her I returned her feelings. She had kissed me once before, and I had ran off angry with her."

Katara chuckled slightly at that story, now rocking back and forth in her chair, "Well that certainly sounds familiar."

Mako's amber eyes looked at her unsurely, "What do you mean?"

"It seems that Avatar's are just very forward with their feelings," For a moment, she was back on Ember Island all those years ago, looking into the sad grey eyes of a little boy, with a big responsibility, "Anyway, you told her your feelings to make her feel better?"

"Yes."

Katara looked at him with sympathy as she paused in her rocking, "You also told her that because without her bending, she wasn't the Avatar anymore. To you she was just Korra, to the world she was then just Korra as well."

Mako's mouth opened a bit, readying himself to defend his reasoning, to tell her that wasn't the case. But then he realized she was right.

"I don't know."

The old master nodded, placing her cup on a nearby wooden table and placing her wrinkled hands within the opposite sides of her sleeves, "Mako,  
may I ask you something?"

There was a hesitant look on his features, his amber eyes unsure, but he gave her a stiff nod.

"When you think of Korra, what do you think of?"

Mako's brows furrowed, his eyes shifting unsurely across the floor beneath his feet, "Well, I guess I think about all the times we have been in the probending arena. I think about every kiss we have shared, even the unsure one. I sometimes remember that feeling I got when she was missing and all of a sudden, it seemed like a part of me was gone, though I wasn't even sure of my feelings back then. It makes me hope that I can protect her, just so I never have to see her go through something like that again."

Katara nodded slowly, smiling gently at the young man's answer, "Then when you look at Korra, and when you think of Korra, all you see is Korra. You never see Avatar Korra."

Mako's head bowed slightly as a twinge of guilt twisted in his stomach, "That's all I saw at first," He shook his head, looking up at the old woman with such a sincere look in his amber eyes that Katara gained a certain admiration for the passionate, young firebender, "But now it's different."

"Than what is the problem? She's just Korra to you, she isn't the Avatar when she is with you."

Mako threw his hands up in a bought of exasperation, "But the world doesn't see it that way. Half of the people will think I'm in love with her because of her title! I don't want to put her in that kind of position where people question her own honor and judgement."

Katara's eyes rolled, her hand waving him off, "Oh, you firebenders and your honor. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard."

Mako still looked at the old woman, confusion light in his eyes, "But the world see's it that way. They see me as an orphan, and they see Korra as a hero. Nothing could change that."

The waterbender sighed slowly through her nose, lips pursed as she looked around the living room. Her mind trying to find some way to calm the boy's irrational fears.

That's when she saw it. Hanging on the wall, was a picture of her, Aang, and their three children. It was a rather solemn photo, all of the people's faces within it having serious looks on their usually cheerful features.

"Mako, will you hand me that picture?"

She pointed at the frame on the wall, while Mako looked at her strangely before he stood and followed her instructions. He carried it over to her and she took the cold frame within the confines of her fingers, chuckling slightly at the strained look on Bumi's face as he attempted to stand still long enough to take the picture.

"What do you think Aang was like? In terms of his personality."

Mako seemed to be deep in thought for a moment, seating himself back on the couch, before he shrugged, "I imagine he would have been very serious, much like Tenzin is. He would probably have a commanding presence, and considering all of his accomplishments, I would think he would be quite admired yet very calm and collected."

Katara nodded, pointing at the picture in her hands where her husband stood tall, his features looking coldly at the camera with a strong arm wrapped around the young woman standing beside him, "Because of this. Because of the way you have always seen him. His face here, despite being older, resembles the face on the statue in Yue Bay, correct?"

"Well," Mako was very careful with his answers, his mind reminded him that he was talking to Avatar Aang's wife, "I guess. Every picture I have ever seen of him,  
he's looked so noble and powerful and serious, I guess I just always assumed he would be a very intimidating man."

Katara smiled, nodding knowingly, "Would you mind waiting for a moment as I go retrieve something from my room?"

"I don't mind."

Mako sat there, leaning back against the soft fabric of the couch and peering at Rohan from the corner of his eye. The tiny child seemed to slumber on as his fist uncurled in his sleep, his emerald eyes moving slightly behind the light skin of his eyelids. The firebender could hear Katara shuffling through the back room,  
but he didn't quite understand what she was doing.

A few minutes later, the old master had returned, a heavy box in her hands but her arms holding it close to her. He couldn't see what was inside it, but instead of sitting in the rocking chair across from him, she gestured for him to scoot over. The young man obligued, and the old woman took a seat next to him on the couch.

By this time, the sun was streaming through the windows, warming the house even more. He could still hear Korra's frustrated huffs coming from outside, and his smile grew slightly as he heard the children try to quell her anger.

"Now," Katara remarked, bringing the firebender out of his thoughts as her hands shifted through the box, the items inside covered by a white sheet,  
"I want to show you some things."

She pulled an album from the box, the leather cover slightly dusty but the binding fairly worn. It had no writing on it, but both the elemental symbols for air and water were carved into the material.

"Photography wasn't possible until many years after the war, the first pictures being taken only two or three years before my wedding. Thankfully,  
that made it possible for their to be pictures of my special day."

She opened the album and Mako was greeted by a page of pictures, all featuring a smiling couple as they had their first dance, recited their vows, ate their wedding dinner. The woman in the photo was stunning, despite the fact that the pictures were in black and white, the firebender could see she had light eyes and dark flowing hair. Beside her stood a man with a bald head and airbending tattoos, his hand never leaving her's throughout all the photos.

"This is you and Avatar Aang?"

Katara smiled gently, "Yes, he looks quite different doesn't he?"

Mako nodded, his brows still furrowed as he looked at the unfamiliar, smiling man. In history books, the Avatar had always been depicted as solemn, it was quite unusual to see his features contorted in such a happy fashion.

"My brother always was one for inventions and such, so he got us a machine that would allow us to take polaroids at home. At first, I was hesitant of the idea, but Aang loved that we could capture small moments so I soon agreed to let him have it. I'm so glad I did."

She turned the page, and was met with several pictures showcasing a young girl with dark hair, her features resembling those of the woman in the wedding photos, though her smile was directly from the smiling man he now knew was the Avatar.

"This is Kya," Katara told him gently, pointing at a picture of a slightly older Aang, holding a bundle of blankets, his eyes filled with tears, "She was our firstborn."

Mako glanced at the pictures on the page, one where the little girl had grown up a bit and was being cradled close to her father, him giving her a delicate kiss on the head.

"She was definately a Daddy's girl," Katara chuckled as she pointed at the picture of her daughter and Aang covered in some of Appa's fur, identical smiles evident on their features, "Those two got into a lot of trouble together. But Aang enjoyed her company. Out of all our children, her personality was the most like his."

The old master pointed at a picture where Aang and her daughter stood in front of a building, the girl's face slightly unsure as she gripped her father's hand tightly. "Kya and Bumi both ended up attending the Academy in Republic City. This was on her first day of school, and you wouldn't imagine the struggle that it had taken to get her to agree to go. She almost had convinced Aang to unenroll her, but I was persistant in her education."

Katara looked up at Mako then, her blue eyes shining slighly in remembrance, "Kya was treated differently at school, by children and teachers alike. Her father walked her to school every morning on his way to Council meetings, the other children's parents staring at them as he kissed her gently on the forehead and gave her the pink school bag he had offered to carry for her. But Kya didn't understand."

The master sighed as she continued her story, "My usually cheerful daughter arrived home from school one day, her face streaked with tears. I asked her what was wrong and she told me that the other children had began to bully her because she wasn't as good of a waterbender as she should be. Kya never liked the violent side of waterbending, but she excelled in the healing side of it. But the children weren't impressed by that, she was the child of the Avatar, she should be a master at the age of seven."

Katara's eyes glanced back at Mako, the young man intently listening to the story, "Kya didn't see the man who they saw. They all saw the Aang who had defeated Fire Lord Ozai and stopped The Hundred Year War. To that little girl in the photo, he was just her father. He was the same man that would sit in her room awake with her during storms, and kiss her scraped knee when she fell, and would carry her on top of his shoulders as he told her stories of the Air Nomads that lived before her time. She did not see an Avatar, she saw her Daddy."

Mako nodded a bit in understanding, seeing where this conversation was going. Katara pointed at a few more pictures of her with the young girl, her first healing lesson, the day of her first date, even a wedding photo where the firebender could see an older Aang tearing up in the background as his daughter held the hand of another man, a man who would take the place as her protector.

The next page showcased a boy with spiked up, frizzy dark hair. He could see the familiar features of Commander Bumi of the United Forces.

"Bumi was most definately our wild child," The old woman chuckled as she pointed at a picture of her son jumping from the top of Appa, his father nervously running to catch him before he fell, "Sometimes I think it was better that he wasn't born a bender. That would have given him all new oppurtunities to hurt himself."

Mako gave her a grim look and nodded along with her, remembering the Commander he had see on the top of the tall ship, yelling into the air wildly.

"But though he did have a wild side, Bumi was exceptionally smart. He excelled in things such as tactic and planning and he was talented with a sword, that's why he originally decided to join the United Forces," Her finger grazed the page as she pointed at one of a now slightly older teenaged Bumi, his hair tied back in Water Tribe fashion, a travel bag slung over his shoulder as his mother and father stood on either side of him, faces beaming with pride.

"When Bumi joined the Forces though," Mako watched as the usually cheerful woman's face darkened slightly, "He decided to hide a huge part of him. Like Kya, Bumi had issues with the people in school. But his were much worse. The child actually came home beaten and battered some days after some of the other children made fun of him for not being a bender. I honestly wouldn't think children would have the nerve to beat up the Avatar's child, but apparently I was wrong. So when he joined the United Forces, he kept his parentage a secret for as long as he could, but soon that was discovered too."

Mako's amber eyes looked at her curiously, "So what happened after that?"

Katara smiled softly, "He braved their judgments, and in the end, he was rewarded for his skilled swordsmanship and tactic. He became one of the youngest commanders ever. Some people rolled their eyes thinking that his father had gained him the position, but they were wrong, that was all Bumi."

Pointing at another picture he was greeted with one where Aang was holding the child on his back, both of their faces adorned with huge grins, but he could see a bruise on the eccentric child's cheek, "Aang was always Bumi's friend. The child didn't respond well to the parenting that we used with Kya, so he was a completely different story. Instead of coddling him, Bumi just wanted someone to talk to and confide in, and Aang provided that. He stood in the place of a friend, because Bumi didn't have the best time making them. But that's what Aang was to him, not the Avatar, he was a friend. Much like the relationship Korra and Bolin have."

She turned to the next page, Mako's eyes following her finger as it danced across the page pointing at the pictures of a young bald child, very lanky and solemn looking.

"Tenzin was the exact opposite of Kya and Bumi," The mother shook her head as she reached a picture of Kya and Bumi wrestling on the floor as Tenzin gave them disapproving looks, "I guess you could say that he was always more like me. Serious, mature, nurturing, the peace maker in the family. I don't think we could have handled another crazy child, so that was fine."

Katara chuckled as she pointed at a picture of Aang wrapping his arm around his youngest son, a wide grin plastered on his face, while Tenzin's remained serious, "Aang was so proud of him, though he was proud of all our children. Tenzin was the first airbender born in over a hundred years, and finally the White Lotus would shut their mouths about the state of the Air Nomads."

"Tenzin was aware of his position early on, watching as his brother and sister went to school as he stayed home and was forced to meditate and practice his forms. It was quite a big weight on the child's shoulders, but Aang and I hadn't put it there," She looked at Mako knowingly now, "The world had."

Pointing at a picture of the young boy sporting new airbending tattoos, a small smile on his face as his father and mother looked on proudly, "When he received his airbending tattoos, I thought Aang was going to burst with pride. He couldn't stop mentioning how amazing his son's bending was, and how proud he was of him for perfecting the nearly lost art."

Katara looked at Mako then, those cerulean eyes searching his, "But Tenzin did not see this man as the intimidating Avatar the world made him out to be. Tenzin actually would get frustrated with his father easily because of how silly he was. The man was his teacher, his guide, his sifu. This was the man who had instilled the knowledge within him to carry on his legacy so no other person would ever feel the immense pressure he had felt his whole life. Aang was his teacher, not the Avatar."

She flipped a few more pages, the pictures showcasing visits to the South Pole and to the Fire Nation, a young princess wrapping her arms around the young children'ss shoulders. Mako even spotted a child Lin Bei Fong and had to chuckle at her tough expression throughout all the pictures.

Finally Katara reached the last few pages, sighing with a shaky breath as she turned to the pictures that showcased her and her husband, grinning with arms wrapped around each other, "Now as for me, I grew up here. I was the last waterbender of the Southern Tribe, and I wasn't particularly gifted at it. I didn't grow up as a Princess, or as the child of a noble, in fact, I grew up in the confines of a thin tent or igloo. My father was off fighting the war and my mother had been killed early on in my childhood, leaving me to cook and clean and take care of my brother and Gran Gran."

The old woman smiled gently now, a smile that Mako was beginning to realize was one of love as her fingers grazed a photo of herself and Aang, standing beside a group of penguins, both laughing wildly, "I didn't even know Aang was the Avatar when I found him, all I knew is that the moment he looked into my eyes, there was something there. Him and I were connected from the moment we met. Whether he was the Avatar or not, I cared deeply for him."

She sighed, eyes watering slightly as she spoke quietly, "Over the course of our relationship, some people pushed noble's daughters at Aang, they fought with him for choosing me when he could have any girl in the world. He after all, defeated Ozai and was a fully recognized Avatar, he was seen as irrestible to every woman on the planet. But Aang didn't care, he hadn't even wanted to be the Avatar in the first place, he just wanted to be Aang."

Katara looked up at Mako her tearfilled blue eyes capturing his, "Aang was never Avatar Aang to me. Throughout my lifetime he gained many names. He started as a friend, but then he became my best friend, then after that he became my true love, than my husband, and ultimately, my soul the world he was their Avatar, but he was always my Aang."

She patted the young firebender's face gently, as his eyebrows relaxed and he gave her a sad yet apprecitive look, "That's what Korra can be for you. She's not just the Avatar, she is also that hotheaded, stubborn girl that you fell for from the moment you saw the real side of her. The world will always have complaints, but when they see her, they see the tough girl in the newspaper headlines who doesn't look like she will ever crack a smile. But you are the one who gets to see her experience joy, you get to comfort her at her lowest points, and you get to provide her with something not many people can offer her. Unconditional love."

Mako's amber shifted slightly as he nodded slowly, "I understand."

Smiling, the older woman smiled, "I was hoping you would."

As the two shared a quiet moment, Katara playing with the edges of the frayed album and Mako staring into the distance, they heard Korra shouting with excitement as she performed an airbending move correctly, her loud shouts waking the sleeping baby who had slept through the whole conversation. He looked up at his Gran Gran and Mako curiously.

"Go back to sleep, Rohan," Mako smiled at the child in the bassinet, chuckling a bit as the girl continued to cheer, "It was just Korra."

That's who she was, and to him, that's all she needed to be.


End file.
